Speed humps! Last week, I submitted a letter to the editor which the editor titled “Rush Job.” A more apt title would have been “The Bums’ Rush” and no, I am not referring to myself. The “Bums” in this case are the five city council members who, for reasons best known to them, decided to ignore not only the Los Angeles County standards but, I just discovered today, our city’s own Public Works Department standards, which were submitted to them months ago. And then, months later, mysteriously they slip it in as Item 6b for a virtual council meeting that almost no one watches live. Then, one by one each muttered some platitudes about speeders, although one of them opined “maybe we should ask the residents” and she then proceeded to vote with her four pals to approve a flawed project. You know, guys, about the Brown Act?
It is flawed because Malibu’s own Public Works Department standards require that a speed survey be conducted and that 60 percent of the people who live on the streets affected vote in the affirmative. The same standards specifically rule out placing speed humps on both Fernhill Road and Dume Drive (for technicalities, frankly!—but I admit that to avoid criticism of my being intellectually dishonest, a fear that apparently isn’t shared by our elected officials). Also, as I pointed out last week, the County of Los Angeles Public Works Department policy is that speed humps not be placed on transit (i.e. bus) routes or on designated emergency thoroughfares. Fire departments throughout metro Los Angeles oppose them. During the past 20-plus years that Dume Drive speed humps have been rejected by majority votes of residents, communities like Santa Monica have removed speed humps because of concerns about public safety.
The other thing I learned by looking at the Malibu Public Works Department standards is that the humps to be installed are 20 mph rated, and the speed limit on Dume Drive is 30 mph.
Someone listen to me! Postpone this expedited installation. It is a mistake! We can work out better ways to get better results.
Don Maclay